Severus Snape in Need
by severussnape922
Summary: Severus Snape has an extremely bad case of wizard's flu. However, he tries to hide it. What happens next? Sequel to 'Surprises'
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: I decided to have a sequel to 'Surprises' after much thought. Please read and review. This story will be in several parts, and I will try to update as soon as is possible. Enjoy! :D_

_Yours sincerely,_

_severussnape922_

Harry's POV 

Harry Potter felt exhilarated as he eyed the _Hogwarts Express,_ a train that he had not seen for several years. He stared around Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, drinking in the sight of the numerous students milling around the platform.

It was September the first, and Harry had accepted the Defence Against the Dark Arts post that had been offered to him by Minerva McGongall through Severus Snape. Harry grinned roguishly at the memory of meeting the Potions Professor. He had gotten his back on Severus for the uncountable times Severus had treated him nastily. Severus had left the incident with a heavily injured pride caused by Harry's retort. That had made Harry's day!

He stepped onto the train slowly, wondering dimly in the back of his mind what would await him at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He decided to let the future take nature's course. He plopped himself down on a plump and comfy chair and gave a long and relaxed sigh. _I hope this will be a great year! _He thought cheerily. _And probably this would be a bad year for _poor _old Severus..._

* * *

Harry strode briskly off the train, but not before waving frantically to Hagrid, gamekeeper and Keeper of Keys. Hagrid's face crinkled into a smile while shouting hoarsely, "First years... First years..." Harry allowed himself a moment to savour Hagrid's happiness. He knew that Hagrid would be happy by his appearance as Harry had always been a favourite of Hagrid's.

When he stepped into the Great Hall, his breath was taken away abruptly. Even though he had arrived to the Great Hall many times before in his school days, he was always amazed by the Great Hall's grandeur. He stared around the Great Hall briefly, then made his way to the teacher's table. He felt honoured to be sitting in a seat at the teacher's table, as being a teacher of Hogwarts was always a great honour. He let his gaze wander around the table. All the teachers were there... Minerva, Filius, Pomona, Severus and so on.

Minerva looked contentedly at Harry, then signaled to him to sit beside her. Harry took his seat, staring at Severus, who incidentally was sitting beside him. Severus looked sour-faced at the proceedings, but made no attempt to protest. Harry smiled mischievously at Severus, while scanning his features. Nothing was changed about Severus, not even a single jolt. However, Severus seemed to be different somehow all the same. Harry frowned, racking his brains. Then it clicked. Severus had an exhausted air around him, and he had dark eye rings around his eyes, emphasising his haunted look. Severus's eyes were glassy, and his normally pale cheeks were deeply flushed. When Harry took a closer look at Severus, he could see beads of sweat forming on Severus's forehead. Severus was also swaying slightly.

There was no doubt that Severus was sick.

Severus's POV

Severus woke up while covered in cold sweat, sitting up straight like a bolt on his emerald-and-silver bed. He groaned audibly. The nightmare, which consisted of Nagini biting him, had kept Severus awake for the past few nights. Severus couldn't remember the last time he had a full night's sleep. While this was a common occurrence, as Severus suffered from insomnia, it was becoming even rarer in the last few weeks. Severus stared wildly around the room with bleary eyes, only taking in the fact that it was dawn after a few minutes.

Severus moaned silently. His migraine was becoming unbearable, and he felt his throat killing him. He was also feeling feverish. Severus groaned inwardly. _Don't tell me that I've caught a cold on the first day of the term. _He sighed. He would never hear the end of it, as Poppy and Minerva were always berating at him to take better care of himself, and not without reason. He decided to just take some potions to reduce his fever and soothe his throat. He hoped fervently that Poppy would not notice the hoarseness of his voice and not notice his deathly pallor.

He put on his black glasses, slipped out of bed and silently padded over to his stock of potions. He took a few swigs of potions, while wincing at the bitterness. Then, he made his way down to the Great hall for breakfast, even though the thought of breakfast made him queasy. He knew by bitter experience that if he did not eat breakfast, either Minerva or Poppy (or both) would sense that something was amiss and stick a thermometer immediately into his unwilling mouth. He thought that he could just about manage to tide across the day if he kept taking Fever-Reducing Potions every few hours.

He sat down to breakfast in surly silence. Minerva raised her eyebrows at Severus's lack of greetings, but made no comment. Severus felt devoutly thankful, as he was certain that his scratchy voice would immediately give away the fact that he was sick. He choked down breakfast, then walked back to his rooms, feeling like collapsing with every step he took, as he was incredibly exhausted. He staggered to his bed, fell with a loud thud and willingly allowed darkness to overwhelm him.

* * *

It was nearing evening when Severus woke up. He felt completely refreshed and energized when he woke up, but he knew that it would not be for long. He drank a few potions, and walked to the Great Hall, willing himself to stay awake for the welcoming feast. He sat down on his chair at the teacher's table, then looked around him. Students were filing into the Great Hall, chatting animatedly away. Severus closed his eyes shut tight in an effort to not stand up and bark to everyone to shut up, as the chatter was making his migraine even worse.

When Potter came in and shut the doors, Severus sneered at him. _Irritating tick, that brat is going to be the death of me this year. _Severus hadn't quite forgotten their encounter over the summer. He had hated every single moment of it. Potter took his seat beside Severus and eyed Severus critically. Severus glowered at Potter, but made no attempt to protest about the seating arrangements as he felt far too weak. Potter was staring at him with a new glint in his eyes a few minutes later. Severus didn't like it at all. There was something about the light in Potter's eyes that made him uncomfortable. Severus was extremely thankful that Potter leaned towards Minerva to engage her in a whispered conversation a few minutes later.

Minerva's POV

I ate my delicious food in the Great Hall in silence, while thinking hard about Severus's lack of response towards me at breakfast. While there was nothing wrong in that, as Severus was never a sociable person, my sixth sense told me that there was something wrong. I frowned, deep in thought. There seemed to be nothing wrong with Severus...

My train of thoughts were broken by Harry, who had leaned forward, apparently to engage me in conversation. I swallowed my food down and said, "What is it, Harry?" Harry stared at Severus, seemingly confirming that Severus was not eavesdropping, then he whispered, "I think Severus is sick." My jaw must have dropped ten feet when I heard Harry's words. I then asked quickly, "What makes you think so?"

Before Harry had even opened his mouth, my question had been instantly answered. There was a loud thud as Severus crumpled to the floor, insensible. I stared at Severus, too shocked to react, then I galvanized into action. I yelled at teachers to help to bring Severus to the hospital wing. As I carried Severus, whose tongue was lolling out of his mouth, I caught students exchanging looks as they watched Severus with horrified fascination. Their looks told me the same thing: Was Professor Snape, the greasy old bat of the dungeons, human after all?


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed the previous chapter! I will be updating the last part of the story in a day or two. As usual, please read and review. Thanks!_

_Yours sincerely,_

_severussnape922_

Poppy's POV

I was extremely shocked to see Severus carried into the hospital wing while I was enjoying a bowl of plain oatmeal as I did not like the rich food of the feast and far preferred to eat simple food. I must have jumped ten feet into the silent air!

Minerva came over and urgently said, "I suspect Severus is down with a bad case of flu. I haven't been able to ascertain if it is the Muggle kind or the magical kind, but judging from the fact that Severus actually fainted, I presume that this is the magical kind." I nodded briefly. That explained a lot. I motioned to the teachers to place Severus on an empty bed. I walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a thermometer, the magical sort. I prised open Severus mouth and stuck the thermometer inside. Inwardly, I was rather relieved that Severus was unconscious when I placed a thermometer. If he was awake, he was sure to swat away the thermometer irritatedly and rant off a string of profanity.

I gasped in horror when I pulled the thermometer out of Severus's mouth. It read: 40 degrees. _Severus has an extremely high fever! Why didn't he come to seek help earlier? _I mused as I explained to every teacher that Severus was down with an extremely bad case of wizard's flu and desperately needed my care and attention for a week. Everyone nodded silently. I could tell, just from scanning their deathly white faces, that they were as shocked by Severus's predicament as me. I sighed and tucked the bedsheets over Severus's body. "Why don't you ever take care of yourself, Severus?" I murmured gently to the unconscious man. Deep down in my heart, I knew. Severus liked to bury himself in mountains upon mountains of work to keep himself busy, and finally the toll of the work had manifested itself.

Minerva's POV

I visibly reeled in shock. Severus had wizard's flu? The man who got sick, like, once in a blue moon? _Why didn't I see the warning signs when I saw Severus's reactions at breakfast? _I silently cursed myself. I stared glumly at the prone figure lying peacefully on the blankets. Severus was so much more pleasant when he was asleep, to tell the truth. However, I would never dare to say that into his face. The short-tempered wizard might just decide to 'test' a few spells on me.

I sat quietly by his bedside, accompanied by a slightly panicky Poppy. As Headmistress, it was my sole responsibility to ensure that every single teacher was fine. As much as I would have liked to entrust the job to Poppy, finding a new Potions Professor might pose a great challenge, as no one in the right mind wanted to teach in the cold and drafty dungeons (except Severus, of course). I could see why. The dungeons were less than comfortable, and were bare and basic.

I surveyed Severus, hoping that he would show some signs of life soon. As if the heavens had heard my plea, Severus stirred. I leaned forward excitedly with bated breath. Now I could finally interrogate him on the events that he had previously done that might have caused his recent bout of wizard's flu!

Severus's POV

I moaned to myself as I stared blearily and glassily at two blurry figures at my side. I groped wildly for my glasses. I was as blind as a bat without them. I felt a cold hand place my much-needed glasses into my hand. I shoved them up the bridge of my nose. Everything came into sharp focus. I eyed Minerva and asked hoarsely, "Minerva, what am I doing in the hospital wing?" Minerva sighed audibly, and then told me about the recent events that had just transpired. I stiffened in shock. How could I even have fainted while at the welcoming feast? I buried my face in my hands. The moronic students would probably be gossiping about it for ages!

Minerva glowered at me and lectured at me, "Now see what has happened to you when you neglect your own health?" I snapped at her, "Oh, you don't need to go on about it, I feel terrible as it is..." I was personally surprised by my outburst. Normally I was a cool and composed person. However, my patience had finally snapped when Minerva had gone into a lecture about it. Minerva looked terribly insulted by me. To smooth the incident over, I hastily added, "Sorry, Minerva, but I'm just not in the mood to listen to one of your long and tedious rants right now."

Minerva looked placated by my apology, but I knew that my insult had stung. Minerva then asked me gently, "Severus, I know you feel terrible, but just answer my question. Do you remember doing anything that might have caused you to get this severe bout of flu?" I racked my brains while a million thoughts whizzed around my mind like greased lightning. Then I replied, "No, Minerva."

Minerva looked confused for an instant, but then rose from her seat and headed towards the door. She turned around and softly said, "I will leave you alone now for you to catch up on your sleep. Thank you, Severus..." She left the hospital wing, leaving not a single trace of her visit. Poppy immediately pressed what must have been a dozen potions into my arms and said, "Drink all that down, Severus, they will help you speed up healing. One of them is a Sleeping Potion." I looked at the potions, feeling annoyed. "It is the height of disgrace for a Potions Master to drink his own potions..." Despite what I said, I obediently complied with Poppy's orders. I immediately fell back to the bed, letting the waves of sleep that I had been craving for overwhelm me.


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's note: The final part of my story! Please tell me what you think about the story and whether you liked it or not. Thanks!_

_Yours truly,_

_severussnape922_

**_Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling. I do not earn any profit from writing this._**

Harry's POV

Harry paced in circles outside the hospital wing anxiously, throwing worried glances at the door every few minutes. Despite Severus's and Harry's mutual enmity in Harry's school days, (which seemed like eons away now), all ill feeling towards Severus had been banished immediately when Harry knew that Severus was actually a spy for the Light. Harry remembered Severus's glassy and his feverish eyes, and hoped dearly that Severus would be fine.

When Minerva breezed out of the hospital wing, looking slightly relieved, Harry stepped forward quickly and began bombarding Minerva with a barrage of questions. Minerva shook Harry's questions of with a casual flick and replied, "Severus seems to be fine. Probably our _dear _Professor will be up and about within a week. You can visit him now." Harry watched Minerva's slight figure fade into the impenetrable darkness, feeling as if a burden had been lifted off his shoulders.

Harry walked into the hospital wing briskly, noting with much relief that Severus seemed to be sleeping peacefully now. Poppy beckoned Harry over, whispering to Harry not to disturb Severus in his deep slumber. I waved my wand, conjuring a wooden seat. I shook my head regretfully, reminiscing the comfortable chintz chair that Albus could so aptly conjure. _Oh well, I'll just have to make do with it, I suppose. _I sat in the chair, suddenly feeling weary to the bone. I folded my arms and leaned forward, escaping into the land of dreams.

Severus's POV

Severus awoke with a groan. He rubbed his eyes wearily, taking stock of his surroundings. It slightly surprised him that Potter was at his bedside, he thought that Potter didn't care a hoot about me. He sat up straighter in the fluffy bed, causing a creak of bedsprings. Severus froze and swore under his breath. The creak would probably alert Poppy of his return to the land of the living. That overprotective mediwitch would probably bustle towards him, forcing Severus to take yet another damned dozen of potions, all brewed by yours truly. Severus secretly regretted making his potions as foul-tasting as possible for the students. Then again, Severus had never envisaged himself getting remotely sick one day.

True enough, Poppy bustled in, grabbed a handful of potions, and thrust it into his unwilling arms. Severus forced down the assortment of potions, while trying to no avail to distract himself from the bitterness of his potions. _Poppy is probably having a field day now, having her most _'wanted' _teacher under her orders for now. _Severus thought with a grin. _But it will not be for long... _Severus already felt much better, owing to the cocktail of potions. He slid out of bed silently, walking around the pristine hospital wings to stretch his stiff legs.

When Poppy dashed back to Severus's bed, holding yet another armful of potions, she looked taken aback. "Severus! Feeling a lot better already, I see!" Severus smiled faintly at Poppy. "Yes, Poppy. Please stop giving me the potions, I am perfectly able to choose what potions I need, thank you very much." Poppy looked distinctly ruffled and affronted, but she agreed resignedly, knowing a lot better than to argue with the Potions Master.

Poppy's POV

Poppy was extremely surprised by Severus's apparent quick recovery. _But then again, nothing less than I expected, seeing that Severus has always been a hardy person. _She agreed reluctantly with the Potion Master's request, knowing that Severus could fend for himself now. The last thing that remained to be done... Poppy took a handful of Floo powder, threw it into her fireplace and shouted, "The Headmistress's Office!"

Poppy felt herself enveloped in a brief warmth, then the warmth was replaced by the chill in the air caused by the autumn. Minerva looked up from her work, seeing Poppy's radiant face, then evenly said, "Good news about Severus, I hope?" Poppy nodded, and replied, "Severus is already up on his feet. I think that it will only take a day or two before Severus can return to work." Minerva nodded, acknowledging the news, then fondly said, "Severus... what an enigmatic person." I agreed with her, but now was not the time to discuss it. I took another handful of Floo powder, then added to Minerva as an after note," You can visit Severus again today, his condition is sufficiently stable."

Minerva treated me with one of her rare smiles, and replied, "Thanks for taking care of Severus, Poppy." I felt myself turning red as a beetroot, and I quickly added, "It was nothing, Minerva." With that, I vanished into the curtain of green flames.

* * *

_One week later_

Severus's POV

Severus allowed himself a thin-lipped smile as he said to Minerva, "Checkmate, Minerva."

Minerva sighed as she put aside the board of wizard's chess, and said, "Where did you ever learn your chess skills, I haven't beaten you once this evening."

Severus flicked his wand as he reset the chessboard, while remarking lazily, "Patience, Minerva, patience. Maybe one day you will be as good as me in chess... but I strongly doubt so. You Gryffindors are too headstrong, always rushing into things, which probably is why you kept losing to me, a sly Slytherin."

"You horrible bat! How could you say that about Gryffindors?" Minerva asked in mock hurt as she made her first move.

"Probably because it is in my nature to do so." Severus replied, while focusing on his next move.

"Much better than last week, right, Severus?" Minerva asked slyly while she attacked one of Severus's bishops.

Severus smiled and laughed genuinely while moving his knight. "Too right, Minerva."


End file.
